The Mt. Diablo High School football team in the East Bay has been through a lot this week. Nothing in their playbook helped them deal with the news that their home field was torched last weekend.

Friday night was game day for quarterback Michael Vazquez. He's gone through his normal pregame routine: checked his gear, put on his cleats, and got his pads on to play in the home opener.

While the ritual didn't change, the field he should have been stepping on had.

The Mt. Diablo Red Devils were supposed to play on their brand-new $2 million turf field that now has a huge burn scar on their logo at the 50-yard line.

"I remember we all came here and said, 'Bro, this can't be for real,' " Vasquez said.

Instead of playing on their new field, the Red Devils kicked off their home opener at their rival's turf at Concord High School.

Vazquez couldn't have started the game any better, with a 30-yard pass for a touchdown. The message at practice this week is that it doesn't matter where they play but how they play.

"Just don't let that deteriorate what we got going on," Vazquez said. "Don't let that affect us. We've been the same team from summertime to now, so a field doesn't change who we are. So just keep on building and building until we get to now."

Principal Dr. Markell McCain was on hand to watch his team take the field. He was just happy to see the boys play the game they love. He doesn't know exactly when their home field will reopen, but it's been a big loss, not just for the football team.

"That field is a community field," said Dr. McCain. "It's not just for the students and athletes. The community uses it."

Police are looking into who may have set the fire. Vazquez has his own suspicions. No matter who's responsible, Vazquez said he has to focus on the big picture.

"You just got to move past it because there are bigger things like today," he said. "Can't let stuff like that affect us, especially because everything is going to happen. That team still has their field, so everything is just going to move on, so we got to move on with it."